


forgiven and forgotten

by orphan_account



Series: make me forget [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff (?), Heartbreak, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 09:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15045779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Taeyong comes back after six months and Yuta doesn't know what to do.





	forgiven and forgotten

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone! so for those who haven't read the first part of this, i recommend you do that before reading this one (although it's not necessary) because there are some references to that in here so it'll be easier for you to understand.
> 
> edit: oh god i feel so stupid,, the whole time i was writing this i had a title set for it but i somehow completely forgot about it and posted this under the title ‘come back’ when it was supposed to be ‘forgiven and forgotten’ (which it is now). this might confuse some people but this sounds much better according to me. 
> 
> anyway, excuse any mistakes and enjoy!!

It was a normal Saturday afternoon in Yuta and Jaehyun's shared apartment when Yuta received the text.

He had been accompanying Jaehyun in the kitchen as the two prepared lunch together when his phone dinged loudly, interrupting the sweet moment the two had been sharing and snapping them out of their bubble of terrible jokes and obnoxiously loud giggles.

“I swear I had put my phone on silent,” Yuta frowns, rounding the kitchen island to the other side where his phone lies in a corner. “Maybe it's someone from work. Sorry, babe, I'll just tend to this and then–”

And Yuta stops abruptly.

Jaehyun continues with his task of chopping vegetables, waiting patiently for the rest.

But the rest never comes, and Jaehyun, who has his back to the Japanese, soon turns around as his curiosity gets the better of him, “And then what?”

Jaehyun startles when he sees the look on Yuta's face, worry and concern flooding his veins as he catches sight of the eerily blank expression.

“Babe?” he starts slowly, but his efforts to catch Yuta's expression are fruitless; he keeps staring at his phone with the same blank look in his eyes.

“Yuta hyung?” he tries again, once more, to no avail.

Having had enough (and not to mention the fact that he's absolutely _dying_  to know what has Yuta acting this strangely), Jaehyun cleans his hands on his apron before untying it and rounding the island to where Yuta stands.

“Yuta,” he says, placing a firm, but at the same time, gentle hand on said male's shoulder, and this seems to snap Yuta out of his stupor as he almost drops his phone in shock.

“Wha–” he starts, blinking wildly. “What's wrong?”

“I should be asking you that, hyung,” Jaehyun chuckles. “You spaced out there for a sec.”

Yuta blinks at him dumbly. Jaehyun stares back.

The two stay like this for a while, staring at each other like idiots, until Yuta decides to break the silence.

“Taeyong texted me.”

And Jaehyun chokes on air – half because of Yuta's nonchalance (because, let's be real, who in their right mind stays that calm when their ex texts them?), and half because Lee fucking Taeyong, Yuta's ex-boyfriend (of four years), texted him six months after they parted ways, and Jaehyun might or might not feel just a tad bit threatened.

“Jae?”

Jaehyun snaps out of his trance when he hears the soft voice and sees the confused look on Yuta's face and that's when jaehyun realizes that Yuta must be feeling many more emotions than he's letting on, and he doesn't even blame him. After all, a relationship of four years is no joke.

He places his hands on the smaller man's waist and pulls him close, before looking into his eyes.

“What did he say?” he asks softly, running a hand gently through Yuta's soft brown locks and Yuta leans into the touch, letting his eyes fall shut as he opens his mouth to reply.

“He wants to meet.”

Jaehyun stops his ministrations and pulls back slightly to regard Yuta with an incredulous look in his eyes.

“Don't look at me like that,” Yuta laughs, a short peck to Jaehyun's lips accompanying it before he goes on, “Sorry for zoning out. He's the last person I was expecting a text from, you know,” he releases a breath before continuing, this time more hushed, “It's been six months, Jae.”

Jaehyun gathers the smaller man in his arms when he sees the tears building up in his brown eyes and as he tightens his hold on Yuta's frame and feels the wetness spread across his shoulder, he can't bring himself to feel angry (well, at least not towards Yuta) or jealous in the least because he understands (although not from experience) what it must feel to have someone you loved more than anything for years and years to leave you only to show up out of the blue a handful of months later.

He isn't sure whether Yuta's crying because of the memories that came flooding back with the text or if it's because he still isn't over Taeyong yet. The latter should concern Jaehyun to some extent, and it does, for a moment, until he pushes these thoughts away with a firm shake of the head.

If Yuta tells him he loves him, Jaehyun will believe it. After all, the number of times the Japanese says it each day has to mean  _something._

It takes a lot of comforting from Jaehyun's side to bring Yuta to calm down but eventually, he does, noisy sobs having gone down to soft sniffling as Jaehyun repeatedly wipes the tears off of his face and strokes his hair with the utmost care.

Jaehyun gets him a glass of water once his breathing regulates and helps him take small sips, all the while still – albeit absentmindedly – stroking either his hair or his side and Yuta couldn't be more thankful to have him in his life.

“Th–Thank you,” he manages to say when Jaehyun sits them down on the couch, taking Yuta's smaller hand into his and lacing their fingers. Yuta has to stop to admire how perfectly his fingers fit through the gaps of Jaehyun's and he smiles at the thought before looking up to be greeted by Jaehyun's signature dimpled smile.

“Of course.”

Yuta takes a deep breath and the atmosphere once again becomes silent – a suffocating silence and both men feel themselves growing restless.

“So,” Jaehyun starts softly and Yuta hasn't ever been this glad to get rid of a silence, “want to talk about that?”

Jaehyun motions head towards where Yuta's phone lies on the coffee table and Yuta tenses a little when he realizes what just happened.

His ex texted him and he started bawling like a baby the minute he saw the text, that too, in front of his current boyfriend, who – being the perfect person he is – tolerated Yuta's fit instead of walking out on him (which, for the record, is what Yuta is sure he would have done had he been in Jaehyun's place).

“Uh–” he starts, clearing his throat in hopes of lessening the tension in the air, and for once, it's not the type of tension that Yuta likes. It's the type of tension he would like to get rid of or run away from – either would do.

But his mind is blank, and there's only one thing that he can think of saying at the moment.

“I fucked up, didn't I?”

He has to suppress a smile when Jaehyun laughs because _goddamn_  his laugh is just so contagious.

“No, I wouldn't call it that,” Jaehyun smiles. “But you do have some explaining to do.”

“Right,” Yuta nods, understanding. But where should he start?

“You can start with why he wants to meet you,” Jaehyun cuts in, and Yuta gapes at him because _how the hell did he know?_

Jaehyun laughs at his expression. “It really isn't that hard to tell what you're thinking most of the time, hyung. you had this face on,” and he imitates the face Yuta had been pulling the best he can, making Yuta burst into a fit of giggles.

“I'm sorry, but I don't think it's physically possible for me to look that ugly,” Yuta replies sassily, flipping his bangs and holding his nose in the air.

“You're right, it isn't.”

Yuta is surprised by the sudden softness in Jaehyun's voice and his breath gets caught in his throat when he sees the look of pure adoration in Jaehyun's eyes.

He stares at Jaehyun, and Jaehyun stares at him before Yuta clears his throat awkwardly and looks away, Jaehyun doing the same soon after.

“He didn't say,” Yuta says, looking back at Jaehyun and rushing to elaborate when he sees the evident confusion on his face. “Why he wants to meet, I mean.”

“Oh?” Jaehyun raises an eyebrow. “Don't you think that's a tad bit weird?”

Yuta tilts his head, motioning for him to continue.

“Well, he randomly texts you after six months–” he quickly glances over at Yuta to see how he handles this and he has to say, he feels a tad bit satisfied when he sees Yuta looking quite unbothered, before he goes on, “–saying he wants to meet without even stating why? Sounds quite sketchy to me.”

“Well, he did say that he wants to talk–” Yuta says, trailing off towards the end and Jaehyun shoots him an unimpressed look.

“No kidding, hyung, I thought he wanted to meet just to stare at your face,” he deadpans (although he is sure that that is something he himself is likely to do).

Yuta purses his lips and Jaehyun sighs.

“Did he at least say where he wants to meet?” he asks, looking up.

“Ah yes, he said at our favourite–” Yuta stops abruptly and rushes to rephrase his sentence, “I mean at the café we both liked to go to back then.”

Jaehyun is the one who purses his lips this time.

_‘Why did he rephrase his sentence like that? Did he think I would get mad?’_

Jaehyun pushes these thoughts away.

_‘Now is not the time to doubt him.’_

“When?” he asks simply and Yuta looks up at him, a little surprised at the lack of response to his previous sentence.

“Tomorrow, at three,” he answers, still a little dazed.

“And you're going?”

Yuta tenses, unsure how to answer this one.

He had thought about this, of course, and he had almost decided on an answer, but he's still hesitant, especially because of how Jaehyun would react.

“I-I think so, yes,” he replies softly.

Sillence settles upon them once again, and Yuta wants nothing more than to get rid of it, _once again._

What happens next will always be a blur to him, Yuta thinks, as he collides with a chest and hands circle around his middle, holding him tight.

He lets out a laugh, trying to pull back to look Jaehyun in the eye, only to have the grip on him tighten.

“Hey, what's with you?” he laughs again, somehow freeing his arm of Jaeyun's death grip and using it to softly pull his chin up.

“Hey there,” he says softly when he sees the look on Jaehyun's face.

Jaehyun huffs, “Don't talk to me like that. I'm not a baby.”

“Sure you aren't.”

Jaehyun is about to open his mouth to complain once again when he feels soft lips against his own and his words die in his throat.

The kiss is slow and gentle and Jaehyun finds himself wanting more when Yuta finally pulls away.

Instead, he buries his head in Yuta's hair and breathes in the fruity scent of his shampoo, tightening his hold on Yuta's frame at the same time.  
  
“Promise me–” he starts, voice muffled by Yuta's soft strands, “–that you won't leave.”

Yuta pulls back, surprised, but instantly softens on seeing the genuine look of fear on Jaehyun's face.

He presses a soft kiss onto Jaehyun's lips and places his forehead against his on pulling away.

“I promise.”

*

Yuta takes a deep breath and looks up at the café in front of him.

He doesn't remember the last time he had been here. Oh right, it had been six months ago, on that fateful day. Gosh, it's been so long since he's heard the familiar jingling of the bell hanging above the door. How he loved hearing that sound.

The door he had kept locked up in his head all this time suddenly caves, giving way to a storm of emotions and memories which spreads in his head like wildfire.

He remembers the first time he had been to the café. It had been Taeyong who had taken him there (a very jittery Taeyong), his seventeen year old self tripping over his own words in his haste to ask Yuta whether he was free that evening after school.

Yuta smiles.

That evening Taeyong (a very jittery Taeyong) had asked him out and that evening, Yuta had said yes, yes and yes, over a thousand times, because this is what had only ever before happened in his dreams and he couldn't have been happier.

Or so his seventeen year old self thought.

Yuta's smile turns bitter as the memory of his last time in the café plays before his eyes.

That evening, Taeyong (a not-so-jittery Taeyong) had broken his heart in the same place he had fixed it years ago.

Yuta takes another deep breath and closes his eyes.

He wills the memories back to where they came from.

_‘That's where you belong, and that's where you'll stay.’_

Yuta remembers Jaehyun's words of encouragement from today morning and his smile turns genuine again. Just the thought of Jaehyun calms him down somehow.

Jaehyun, with his dimpled smiles and comforting hugs and soft kisses.

Yuta's smile grows wider the more he thinks of Jaehyun.

With that thought in mind, he looks up at the café once again and takes bold step forward, listening to the sound of the bell jingling as he steps in.

_‘It's now or never.’_

*

Lee Taeyong sits at a table in the far corner of the café, playing with his fingers under the table and stealing glances at the door every once in a while.

To say he's nervous would be an understatement.

The last time he had been here had not been pleasant and he can only hope that today won't turn out to be the same.

He's about to continue chanting prayers in his head when the bell above the door jingles and he looks up.

And Taeyong swears he forgets how to breathe for a moment because, there, in front of the door, stands (and he's not exaggerating) the most beautiful man he has ever laid eyes on.

He sees the boy looking around, lost, and he can't help but suppress a smile as he waves an arm around and draws the man's attention to himself, whose eyes seem to light up as he quickly walks over to the table and slides swiftly into the seat opposite Taeyong's.

“Hey.”

Taeyong stares at him for a while.  
  
Nakamoto Yuta, his ex-boyfriend (of four years).

Taeyong takes in his appearance, starting from his brown hair down to his pastel blue hoodie (he can't see much further than that). He looks _good_ , Taeyong has to admit, as he scans his face and he can't help it when his gaze lingers on Yuta's lips for a little longer than it should. It's just that – his lipgloss is a light pink and it makes his lips look so fucking delectable and–

_‘Gosh, has he always been this pretty?’_

Taeyong realizes he's been staring for too long only when Yuta awkwardly clears his throat, finally snapping him out of it.

“H–Hi,” he says when he realizes he hadn't even greeted Yuta properly.

“You dyed your hair,” is Yuta's next sentence.

“Oh,” Taeyong reaches up to play with a strand of his pink hair and smiles softly. “Yeah, I wanted to try something new. Do you like it?”

Yuta smiles slightly and nods. “It's pretty. you look… good.”

Taeyong tries his best to fight the blush that threatens to spread across his cheeks and focuses on the table instead.

“Have you ordered anything?”

His head shoots back up on hearing the question and he rushes to answer.

“Uh, yeah, I–I hope you don't mind. I got you an iced latte,” Taeyong notices the look of surprise that paints Yuta's face, as if to say, _‘You remembered_ ,’ and he smiles before adding, in a softer tone, “It should be here in a while.”

Yuta nods, picking up the menu and flipping through it idly, and Taeyong hates the silence that settles over them – he hates it with a burning passion. He would do anything to break it, so he really shouldn't be surprised when he blurts out the worst thing he could possibly say in this situation.

“You've gotten prettier, Yuta.”

Taeyong wants to slap himself when he sees Yuta visibly stiffen and his grip on the menu tighten the minute the words leave his mouth and he couldn't be more grateful when a waiter arrives with their drinks.

“Th–Thank you,” is Yuta's response and it ends there.

The two start up a casual conversation over their drinks, and soon Taeyong forgets about his initial stupidity as they talk about work, school, their favourite shows and what not.  
  
“So,” Taeyong says softly, once the conversation dies down a bit, “Did – Are you… uh… with s–someone?”

Yuta freezes in the middle of taking a sip of his latte. He was _not_  expecting this. Okay, maybe he was; the question is inevitable and he did expect Taeyong to ask him sometime during their evening together but it still catches him off guard.

He slowly places his cup onto the table and takes a deep breath.

Taeyong watches his every movement with bated breath.

“Yes, I am.”

And Taeyong almost chokes.

“Wh–What?”

Yuta purses his lips. “I am. With someone.”

Taeyong ignores the painful clench of his heart and asks softly, “Wh–Who is it?”

“Jaehyun.”

And Taeyong almost chokes, _again._

“J–Jaehyun?” he repeats disbelievingly. “Jung Jaehyun?”

Yuta laughs softly. “Yes, Taeyong. Jung Jaehyun.”

Taeyong leans back in his seat and looks up at the ceiling. “Who would've known…”

Yuta smiles, watching as Taeyong raises his arms over his head and forms a rectangle with his fingers, clenching and unclenching them before he lets his arms fall back down.

“Actually,” he starts, and Yuta hums questioningly. “Who wouldn't have known?”

“Huh?” Yuta furrows his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

Taeyong looks back at him with an eyebrow raised. “It was pretty obvious he had a thing for you back then. The way he looked at you spoke for itself. Even when you were with me, I was afraid that he would snatch you away, so I always used to keep an eye out for him,” he laughs a little towards the end, albeit mirthlessly.

However, he immediately shuts up when he catches the look of genuine shock and confusion on Yuta's face.

“Don't tell me you didn't know?” he says, eyes wide.

“N–No, I didn't. I…” and Yuta trails off, unsure of how to process this new (which apparently isn't new) information.

“Huh…” Taeyong says, eyeing the boy in front of him. “Well anyway, I'm… happy for you.”

Yuta looks up on hearing the tone of taeyong's voice and he laughs bitterly. “Are you really? Because it certainly doesn't sound like it.”

Taeyong's eyes widen once again and he stares dumbly at Yuta's face for a good twenty seconds. “I am–”

“Don't lie to me, Yong,” Yuta says softly and Taeyong's breath hitches at the nickname. “I was always able to tell when you lied. You haven't changed a bit.”

“I–” and Taeyong stops. How is he supposed to reply to that?

“Well then, what do you expect me to say?” he says after a while, and Yuta looks at him questioningly. “That I'm not happy for you? Well then, there you go.”

Taeyong sounds so… angry and hurt and Yuta gapes at him.

“I'm not happy for you, Yuta, and you know why?” Yuta shrinks in his seat when Taeyong glares at him and the pink haired man's gaze instantly softens, his next words coming out much gentler, “Because I can't stand the thought of you being with someone else.”

Yuta's mouth falls open and Taeyong continues.

“I can't stand the thought of you being in someone else's arms because that's not where you're supposed to be, damn it!”

Yuta can only stare, his mouth still forming an ‘o’ and Taeyong's gaze drops as he adds in a softer tone, “That's not where you're supposed to be…”

It takes Yuta more than just a moment to collect his bearings and even when he does, all that comes out of his mouth are incomplete sentences and meaningless phrases. “I…”

“But who am I to say that, right?” Taeyong cuts him off with a bitter laugh. “I… let you slip out of my hands and now you're not mine anymore.”

A silence settles over them and Taeyong looks down again. That is, until he hears a laugh. And it's not a happy one.

“Y–Yuta?” he says hesitantly, glancing at the Japanese with confusion evident on his face.

“You got that right,” is Yuta's response and he smirks at Taeyong's open mouth.

“S–Sorry?” Taeyong sputters, although both he and Yuta know that he heard Yuta loud and clear.

“I said… you've certainly got that right. You've got quite some nerve, haven't you, Taeyong? Dumping me after all we'd been through together with some shitty excuse like ‘I fell out of love,’ and then showing up half a year later only to tell me that you're not happy for me when I'm in a healthy relationship with someone who means the world to me just because you can't bear the thought of me with someone else when _you're_  the one who broke up with _me_? I've gotta give it you, Tae. You're unbelievable.”

Yuta's face is red by the time he's done talking and he takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

Taeyong simply stares at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. It seems to be the only thing he can do today. “I…” and he trails off again.

“Jaehyun was right,” Yuta mutters, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded in front of him as he stares at the ceiling, “You really _do_ have some screws loose.”

Taeyong almost spits out the sip he had just taken of his coffee and falls into a bout of coughs. “I – He– _What?!_ ”  
  
“Nothing,” Yuta chuckles. “Nothing.”

The two fall silent once again after that and Taeyong sighs.

“Look, I'm sorry, Yuta. I'm sorry for everything. I'm so so sorry,” he starts and Yuta's breath hitches, cheeks heating up slightly when Taeyong reaches out to lace his fingers through Yuta's, “And… my original intention of meeting up with you today was to apologize for all I've done and for any time I've hurt you but seeing you today... actually I've been thinking about this for quite a while now but seeing you again… makes me realize that breaking up with you was the worst decision and mistake that I've ever made. And there's probably no point in asking but…”

Yuta gasps. _‘What is he getting at?’_

“T–Taeyong… What are you saying?” he manages to get out and Taeyong smiles softly, tightening his grip on Yuta's delicate hand.

**“Nakamoto Yuta… Won't you come back to me?”**

Yuta almost falls out of his chair.

_‘Did I… hear him right?’_

Yuta stares, dumfounded, at his ex-boyfriend and memories, the same ones he had pushed to the back of his head just an hour ago, come flooding back all at once and it's all just too much, really.

He remembers every single thing that took place in those four years, starting from the day Taeyong asked him out to the day he dumped him, as clear as day, and he feels himself tear up.

He remembers how sweet Taeyong had been on their first date, how tender he had been with Yuta when they shared their first kiss, and how gentle he had been with Yuta during their first time. Taeyong had been nothing but kind and loving towards Yuta in those four years and as Yuta looks up at the man in front of him, he suddenly wants nothing more than to take up his offer and run back into his arms.

But then he remembers Jaehyun, Jaehyun, with his dimpled smiles and comforting hugs and soft kisses. He adores Jaehyun, and he had made a promise to him and he would rather die than break that promise.

“Taeyong,” he says when he's regained control over his senses, “Taeyong, do you hear yourself? Are you aware of what you're saying?”

“I am,” Taeyong answers steadily, looking dead into his eyes.

“I… I–I don't know what to say…” Yuta says softly.

Taeyong opens his mouth to reply but Yuta beats him to it.

“Listen to me, Lee Taeyong,” he says, and it's supposed to sound firm and intimidating, it really is, and he curses at himself when it comes off as soft and broken instead, “you have no right, and I repeat, no fucking right to leave me heartbroken and then show up a decade later asking me to come back to you. Do my feelings seem like a toy to you? A toy you can play with whenever you please? Because they're not, get that in your head. I'm a human, Taeyong; there's only so much I can take, and this is a bit too much.”  
  
“Yuta–” Taeyong starts but Yuta cuts him off once again.

“You don't realize how much your leaving me affected me and my life, do you?” he says softly. “I didn't eat, sleep, or drink anything except water for a week. You know what i did? I stayed in my room and cried my eyes out for what felt like forever. I didn't let anyone into my room, I didn't reply to messages or calls or anything. There came a point where I considered killing myself; it got that bad. I thought, _how could death possibly hurt more than what I'm feeling now?_ ” he lets out a bitter laugh and Taeyong's eyes widen.

“Yuta, I'm–”

“Don't,” Yuta says firmly, effectively silencing the pink haired man. “Don't,” he repeats softly. “Don't make it harder than it already is.”

Taeyong sighs.

“Do you want to know why I left, Yuta?” he asks quietly after a moment's consideration.

Yuta regards him with tired eyes and a questioning hum.

“It wasn't because I _fell out of love,_ it wasn't that at all,” the light haired man says shakily and Yuta tilts his head. “It's because i fell in too deeply and… I was scared, Yuta, I–I didn't know what to do with my feelings and how to deal with them, I–I... I was scared.”

“And you thought breaking up with me altogether was the best option?” Taeyong's eyes snap back up to meet Yuta's when he hears the question.

“I didn't know what to do!” he answers loudly, a little too loudly apparently since the woman behind the counter looks over at them pointedly and he immediately lowers both his head and voice. “I didn't know what to do…”

“I'm tired, Taeyong,” Yuta smiles sadly and Taeyong's heart clenches painfully on hearing the broken voice, “Can't you stop?”

“Don't you see, Yuta? I can't, I couldn't stop even if I wanted to because…”

“Because?”

“Because… I love you, Yuta, and I always have. Come back to me, I swear I won't make the same mistake again,” Taeyong's voice is just as broken as Yuta's by the time he's done and both of them are on the verge of tears.

“I–I'm sorry, Taeyong...” is all Yuta manages to say before a tear slips out of his eye and rolls down his cheek.

“It was worth a shot,” the pinkette mumbles loud enough for Yuta to hear before he untangles their hands and brings his hand to Yuta's cheek, wiping at his cheeks gently.

“Was it really?” Yuta chuckles humorlessly.

“It was.”

Neither know what to say or do after that and a silence settles over them as a result.

“Can I ask you one last thing?” Taeyong asks quietly at long last.

“Go ahead.”

Taeyong takes a deep breath.

“D–Do you love him?”

Yuta's entire body goes rigid and he refuses to look into the eyes that are so desperately searching for his.

“I…”

Does he love Jaehyun?

Yuta thinks.

He thinks of everything Jaehyun has ever done for him, not only over the past six months but over the course of his entire life.

He thinks of the countless number of times Jaehyun has made him smile or laugh when he was upset.

He thinks of the many times Jaehyun has been there for him when no one else was.

He thinks of the handful of times Jaehyun has made him feel safe, safer than he's ever felt.

He thinks of the number of times Jaehyun has been nice to and patient with him when he was being an ass, he thinks of the number of times Jaehyun has taken care of him, he thinks…

He thinks of Jaehyun.

Jaehyun, with his dimpled smiles and comforting hugs and soft kisses.

Does Yuta love him?

And at that moment, he has an answer, and he's never been surer of anything before.

“Yes.”

It takes a moment for it to sink in, takes a moment for Taeyong to process that one word, the one word didn't want to hear in this circumstance.

And when it _does_  sink in, all he feels is… empty.

“Oh.”

Yuta pretends he doesn't hear the pain in that one word, and he does a decent job of it.

He looks down at his watch and startles.

“Oh, would you look at that? It's 5 already! Time really flies, doesn't it?” he says cheerily, although both know that's the last thing he's feeling.

“Anyway, i better get going,” Yuta stands up and stretches slightly. “See you around?” he asks hesitantly.

“See you around,” Taeyong responds.

It's a big, fat lie – both of them know this but neither can bring themselves to face the pain that comes with the truth.

Both of them know that this is the last time they'll ever be seeing each other, that is, unless, fate has other things in store for them.

As Yuta looks down, he locks eyes with Taeyong one last time.

‘ _It was nice knowing you, Lee Taeyong.’_

_‘It was nice knowing you too, Nakamoto Yuta.’_

And when Yuta leaves the shop where he has made more memories than he would like to count, he isn't alone.

He takes a part of Taeyong's heart with him.

*

“I'm home.”

Jaehyun rushes out of the kitchen on hearing his boyfriend's voice and almost trips over himself on his way to the door.

“Yuta hyung!” he pants once he's in front of his lover. He puts his hands on his knees and tries his best to regulate his breathing while Yuta chuckles at him from next to the door where he's toeing off his boots.

_‘I really need to start working out again.’_

“Why are you so excited?” the Japanese asks, walking over to where the brunet stands (still bent over) and patting his back gently.

Jaehyun straightens up and wraps his arms around yuta immediately.

“Of course I'm excited! I finally get to see you after a whole day of being apart!” Jaehyun whines and Yuta coos at the sight.

“I was gone for two hours, Jae…” he says, but allows himself to be pampered by the younger as he wraps his arms around his neck and leans into his embrace.

“How did it go?”

And there it is, the question Yuta's been dreading since he stepped foot into their apartment.

He tightens his hold on Jaehyun's neck slightly and takes a deep breath.

“I… don't want to talk about that right now,” he says quietly and he releases a sigh of relief when he feels Jaehyun nod. “Just… hold me?”

“Sure, hyung, but how about we finish making dinner first? We can cuddle on the couch while eating and maybe we can watch something too. Sound good?”

Yuta nods against Jaehyun's chest and untangles himself from his arms as the two make their way to the kitchen.

Yuta sits on the counter and listens patiently to Jaehyun's enthusiastic chatter about what he did when Yuta was gone and what his plans are for dinner while he scurries about the kitchen all the while.

“So I was thinking we'd do something different today and try some lasagna. Have you ever heard of it, hyung? I used to eat it a lot back when I was in america, and I figured, why not have it with you? So here we are! I've got everything down, I just need some more cheese. Do we have any more cheese, hyung?”

Jaehyun stops fiddling with the buttons on the oven when he doesn't hear an answer and he turns around. “Hyung?”

Jaehyun is surprised, to say the least, when he catches sight of Yuta's teary eyes staring straight into his and he rushes over without a second thought to scoop the smaller man into his arms.

“Yuta hyung, what's wrong?!” he asks, gently wiping the tears away from his face.

“Jaehyun...” Yuta croaks out and Jaehyun pulls back a little to look at him.

“I know this may sound stupid but… yesterday I promised you a–and…”

He breaks down again and Jaehyun shushes him, rocking him back and forth and whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

It works and Yuta's calmed down considerably after a while.

“Jaehyun,” he sniffles and Jaehyun pulls back to look at him again.

“Promise me,” Yuta goes on, “that you won't leave.”

And Jaehyun smiles, because he had told himself, six months ago, that he won't make the same mistake Taeyong did, and he has no intentions of going back on his word.

With that in mind, he leans down and steals a soft kiss from the stunned Japanese.

And when he pulls back, he smiles again, regarding the man in front of him with gentle and loving eyes.

“I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> first of all, thank you all so so much for all the positive feedback on make me forget (i don't know how to link it heh)!! i really wasn't expecting all the nice comments and kudos, thank you all so much, it means a great deal to me! 
> 
> honestly, i wasn't going to make a part two but by popular demand (lmao who am i kidding), here it is!! (does that make sense sorry i don't know how to english) 
> 
> ngl, i don't like it all that much and the ending is kinda rushed according to me. i wasn't going to add the last bit but i figured it would be a little random to end it there (when yuta leaves the shop)?? idk i hope you guys like it,, 
> 
> i'm not one for angst so after all of this i want something light hearted and i have a very... interesting yutae fic in mind so look forward to that!!
> 
> kudos and comments are always appreciated!! thank you for reading!!


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